


Castle On The Hill

by Celestlian



Category: A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
Genre: Canon Era, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 18:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9505127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestlian/pseuds/Celestlian
Summary: After his mother's death, Connor plans a meeting with the very person that both destroyed him and yet revived him.





	

"Lily!" 

 

The biracial girl looked up from the yew tree that she had agreed to meet her friend on. Someone was running towards her. Her eyes widened. "Connor," she whispered. She then set off, her black hair flying through the wind. 

"Connor!" She yelled. "Connor!" She saw a smile break onto her friend's face as she ran towards him. The two embraced, and Connor wiped his tears. That was when she noticed that Connor's smile didn't match his eyes. She paused. 

"Has she...?" 

 

He nodded, beginning to cry. She hugged him tightly. 

"I wanted it to be over," he sobbed. "Why? Why did I do that?" 

"Connor...it isn't your fault. It was never your fault," she said to him. Connor pulled away, staring at her. 

"Well, it sure as hell wasn't yours." 

"Connor O'Mally, I destroyed you. I was the cause of your bullying. I never, ever should have told." Lily was shaking her head now, and Connor noticed how her deep brown eyes sparkled in the cold sunlight of the afternoon. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. 

 

"So, should we go to the yew tree?" 

 

The two made their way up to the tree, its branches stretching upwards. Connor patted its trunk with a strange affection he had never felt before. 

"This tree was her friend, and is mine," Connor explained. "It gave her the last treatment she ever had." 

"Did it work?" Lily asked. Connor shook his head. She frowned. 

"Then how is it your friend? It didn't help you." 

Connor looked at her. "Well, you didn't exactly help me either," he chuckled. Lily smiled at him before sitting down. She pulled him down with her, and he landed with an 'oof!' at the bottom of the tree. Lily laughed and then pointed at the sun. 

"Your friend is the tree, right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Well, _my_  friend is the sun." 

"Why?" Connor asked. 

"It's a secret kingdom, you know. And that house there - that's the castle." 

"The castle," Connor repeated slowly. 

"Yes." Lily looked at him. "The sun and the tree are friends too, and so are we." 

"I'm the tree, and you're the sun." The girl laughed. "I guess you could say that." She turned to Connor once more, who was looking at the 'castle'. 

"What are you going to name the house?" The boy asked. Lily grinned. 

"The castle on the hill." 

"You got that from the Ed Sheeran song." 

"Shut up...!" She punched his arm playfully and he laughed. 

 

Then, Connor heard a familiar voice inside his head. 

 

 _She sees you, Connor O'Malley. That is enough_. 

 

Connor smiled wider and pointed to the sun, wrapping his arm around Lily's shoulders. She laughed and the two smiled. They watched the sunset bathe the castle on the hill, both knowing they had a friend who would always be there for them. 

 

Always.    

 

 


End file.
